metate

[ muh-tah-tee; Spanish me-tah-te ]

noun

, plural me·ta·tes [m, uh, -, tah, -teez, me-, tah, -tes].

1. a flat stone that has a shallow depression in the upper surface for holding maize or other grains to be ground with a mano.

Word History and Origins

Origin of metate¹

1825–35, Americanism; < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl metlatl

Example Sentences

Though it was too rainy to join the park’s nightly stargazing program, we decided to grab dinner and a few drinks at the Metate Room.

From Los Angeles Times

Though it was too rainy to join the park’s nightly stargazing program, we decided to grab dinner and a few drinks at the Metate Room.

From Los Angeles Times

The woman's mother had buried her molcajete, metate, comal, and cazuelas in a hole in the ground and fled.

From Salon

The scene where Pedro is hypnotized by Tita's dangling breast as she hovers over a metate, an indigenous grinder, used to pulverize the almonds and sesame seeds for her turkey mole, stayed with me for more than 20 years.

From Salon

Each of the seating areas has a bench shaped like a metate and a brand that marks the cattle of that region.

From Los Angeles Times